Friday Fleeker Feature

Hello my fellow Fleekers!

Happy Friday!  Happy Friday the 13th.  Hopefully it is a lucky one for you!

Today I would like to introduce you to my awesome cousin Marshell.  She is an elementary teacher and a mom of two.
She is a very busy woman with a lot on her plate.  She graciously volunteered to tell us about her planning systems.

What kind of planner(s) do you use?

I use a 2 month calendar for my family planning (my husband's idea). With the current month hanging on top and the next month hanging under. They are big calendars in picture frames that we hang on the wall in the kitchen and use for family events. We write on the glass with whiteboard markers. It is color coded by family member and its great to keep us informed what's planned for the next few weeks.
As a teacher I use a planner that I created from looking at other teacher's ideas.

Photo Credit Marshell O.

Have you always used planners and what got you using them?

I have used planners on and off in my life. I have a personality that really thrives on being planned. I enjoy writing things down and being able to see them crossed off when I complete them. Also, I now have "full brain syndrome" which means I'm trying to remember too many things and my brain is too full to remember it all. I write things down to remind myself what needs to be done and when.

In my career as a teacher, I have always had a planner of some sort so I can write down my schedule of events and things that I need to teach. In my first years of teaching, I wrote everything down and it's gotten less as the years go by. Then when I got new curriculum to teach, I've gone back to writing more down.

Do you use accessories for your planner? If so what do you use (and how)?

I draw little silly drawings on my whiteboard month calendars at home sometimes. I don't decorate my teacher planner.

Would you be willing to try out other planners or are you satisfied with your planner?  How often do you change planners?

I'm really happy with my month to month planner because it's worked for us for about two years now. I don't think I'll be changing that anytime soon.
My school planner is also working really well for me this year. I like that it's really personalized to my schedule (I made it --of course it's my schedule!).  I like that I can easily cross things out, look at things at a glance, see the whole week at once, have space to write in it and a "to do" list at the side. The template is saved on my computer, so I can change it from year to year as needed. It's working well for me this year.

How do your organize your planner (ie: tasks and appointments)?  Would you be willing to explain your system?

Here's the method to my madness: Our month to month calendar is color coded by family member. We also have some little codes like the letter "R" when it's recycling day.

My school calendar is color coded by the topics of Math, Language Arts, Science and Science. I used a color for each subject. As a grade level team, we met in the summer and decided which topics we'd teach when in the school year. Then I wrote them down in my week to week planner. It's been a good guide for me to see what I need to do that week and so easy to flip the page and see what I need to get ready to teach the next week.

Photo Credit Marshell O.

Any advice on using planners or finding the right one?

My husband saw the idea for our monthly planners and was the brains and brawn of buying, making and setting up our calendars. 

For work, I tried a planner on my own, but then saw a coworker's planner and took the idea and made it work for me. 

I have seen a lot of great ideas on Pinterest that have caught my eye and would be a great place to start looking for ideas of a personal style.

Thanks so much Marshell for taking the time to talk through your system!  

Hope this inspires someone who may have the same career opportunity or if you just want to use some ideas or if you just enjoyed it!  Lol 

Hope you have a happy weekend.  If you celebrate it Happy Valentines Day (I am somewhat cynical toward this holiday I won't lie.  I want to boycott it.  Lol.)!  

Make sure you try to stay healthy (this cold stuff is not fun).

Happy Fleeking!